Why I Hate My iPhone

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Having used my iPhone for the better part of a year, I can truly say that Apple's first phone simply doesn't live up to the hype. Sure, it's gorgeous, and in theory, it's a groundbreaking, change-your-life gadgetand those are the very reasons I scooped one up when it was first released. In practice, however, it just doesn't work as well as I want it to, and it often leaves me longing for a less-sexy, but smarter smartphone.

But I'm not a "hater." I've been a Mac person since my parents brought home an Apple IIe when I was six years old. I even converted my Mac-mocking husband, and now we live a happy PC-free existence. In fact, if my New York City apartment were more modern, you might mistake it for an Apple store. In the past year, we've purchased an iMac, a MacBook, Apple TV, Airport Extreme, and an iPod nano, and that's in addition to the Apple products I've amassed over the years. And I love them all. The only Cupertino creation I've ever regretted buying was my iPhone.

Part of the problem is bad timing: iPhone and I got together too soon. As a tech editor with more than ten years of experience, the one bit of advice I always give friends and family is never, ever buy the first rev of any Apple product, no matter how irresistible. History has shown that the company needs a release or two to work out the kinks, and when you buy too soon, you inevitably pay too much. Time always buys a far superior and much-less-expensive product.

But I had to have that sexy phone, and I had to have it immediately. I practically jumped up and down when I found refurbished 8GB models on Apple's site for $100 less than their shiny, untouched counterparts. I didn't even blink when I threw down my credit card, paid half a grand, and broke my own cardinal rule.

So what, exactly, am I whining about? The iPhone does lots of stuff, but first and foremost, it's a mobile phoneand it's not a good one. The earpiece is seriously weak and nowhere near loud enough to stand up to New York noise. Granted, this is a loud citymaybe the noisiest in the worldbut having to wear a headset to actually hear when you're walking down a crowded street is just lame. Before the iPhone, I had a Motorola SLVR on AT&T, and calls were like a dreamperfectly clear and really loud. I recently tried out a 3G Samsung BlackJack II and it's also boomingly loudall the time. When I borrow my husband's T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearl, I never have to ask, "Um, can I call you back when I get home?"

And I'm not the only one complaining. My iPhone-owning friends and I have done plenty of test-listening on each other's handsets, trying to determine whose is the quietest. I've also had countless inaudible iPhone-to-iPhone calls that have ended in sheer frustration.

In our iPhone review, mobile devices analyst Sascha Segan says "Call quality was the worst we've heard on a high-end device in years." I wasn't working at PC Magazine when the iPhone was released, so I didn't edit that review, but he's completely right. And, no, the firmware upgrades haven't improved the earpiece enough to make a real difference.

Reception is pretty poor, too. I always feel as if I'm the only one who can't get a signal. And the fact that I can't get any service in our apartment really suckswhen I got an iPhone, I also got Vonage, so I could talk on the phone at home. The two-block walk from the subway to my building is a dead zone for me, too. While part of this problem can be attributed to the carrier, I've used other devices on AT&T (that BlackJack II had amazing reception almost everywhere I took it) and have never experienced as much signal trouble as with the iPhone, which also has a nasty habit of over-reporting reception. I've often had four or five bars and not been able to connect a call.

The other day I read about a hack that suggested sticking a piece of Scotch tape on your SIM card to create extra pressure on the contacts for better reception, and I'm seriously thinking of trying it. But should I really have to pull a MacGyver maneuver to get better reception on my $500 phone?

That's not all. The EDGE. Oh, the EDGE! It's glacially slow. I know design and battery life compromises come with 3G, but poky 2.5G coupled with reception issues doesn't make for a fun on-the-go Web experience.

Pages do look excellent on the super-sharp 3.5-inch screen. There's absolutely no denying that. Pinching the screen to zoom in and out? Nifty. Being able to move between pages with a finger swoop? Cool. Accelerometer? Awesome! But constantly zooming in and out to read the text on those good-looking pages while attempting to push tiny buttons with adult-size fingertips is no small feat.

Similarly, the on-screen keyboard is difficult to type on. It gets easier the more you do it, but in all this time, I still haven't mastered the super-fast, single-handed BlackBerry-esque, texting that those with physical keyboards can whip out on-the-fly.

The proprietary headphone jack stinks, but the iPod part is superb, though it does tend to sap battery life. I can live with that, though, since my iPhone sleeps in its cradle on my nightstand and gets fully juiced every night.

I could go on, but I'll probably just wait for the next iPhone, which will undoubtedly be prettier and will remedy most, if not all, of these ills. I'm sure I'll take one look at it and convince myself to drop a ridiculous amount of money all over again. Sucker.

Heading up PCMag's reviews coverage, Wendy Sheehan Donnell is lucky enough to spend her days working with words and drooling over shiny gadgets inside the big glass box that is PC Labs in New York City. Formerly the managing editor for the consumer electronics and mobile reviews teams, she can typically be found knee deep in home theater and audio gear, digital cameras, tablets, mobile phones, and the accompanying accessories. She's had a serious crush on Apple for more than 25 years, but a tumultuous...
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